This invention relates generally to transfer perms employed for curling human hair and more particularly to an improved transfer perm apparatus and process which eliminates the second stage of the conventional transfer perm process in which the hair is unwrapped from a set of rods and then rewrapped onto a set of rollers that are larger in diameter than the set of rods.
Perming baby-fine hair has always presented problems. Wrapping on midsized rods with the expectation of achieving rod-sized curls usually results in the perm falling out or becoming limp prematurely. Wrapping the hair on smaller diameter rods has been found to preserve the perm for a longer period of time, but results in curls so tight that the hair can't be styled without the use of rollers or curling irons to tame frizzy, unruly ends. The prior art transfer perm process was developed to take advantage of the differences in chemical reactions that occur during each stage of a given perm process. During the initial stage, such perm processes break down the bonds of the hair fibers. The more times the hair strands can be wrapped around a perm rod, the more completely the bonds are broken. Additional wraps of the hair strands around the rod also serves to pack or compress those hair strands more tightly together. Therefore, a tighter permanent wave pattern is established, resulting in prolonged life of the perm. Following completion of the initial stage, the hair is unwrapped or taken down from the rods on which it was initially wrapped. During the second or neutralizing stage of such transfer perm processes, the hair is rewrapped onto a larger diameter roller to form looser, softer curls. While these prior art transfer perm processes produce longer-lasting, softer, looser, and more natural curls without excessively curly, frizzy ends, they are nevertheless disadvantageous in that the doublewrapping or transfer step is time consuming and subjects the fragile hair to breakage.
It is therefore the principal object of the present to provide a permanent wave apparatus and process that produces the same desirable curl characteristics as those produced by prior art transfer perms, but which eliminates the need for the second stage rewrapping of the hair.
This and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention by providing a perm roller having a cylindrical outer surface with four equally-spaced longitudinal rows of outwardly projecting teeth positioned thereon. As the hair strands are wrapped around the roller, the rows of teeth act to provide additional compression of the hair by pressing it more firmly together between adjacent teeth with each rotation of the roller. Thus, increased compression of the hair strands is a function of both the number of rotations or wraps of a roller and the compacting of the hair between the roller teeth. End papers, constructed in accordance with the present invention to include a longitudinal I-shaped slot opening, enhance wrapping of the hair by holding the ends of all of the hair strands in place during wrapping, thereby eliminating fish hooks or bend ends, and enabling perfect wraps, even on extemely texturized cuts. Plastic slide clips serve to secure the first roller used to wrap a given section of hair to the scalp to provide increased volume of the resulting curl at the scalp. The increased curl volume is a result of placement of the slide clip under or behind the curl to lift the hair strands from underneath the roller. This placement of the slide clip also results in less stress at the scalp, as well as minimizing hair breakage. The plastic slide clips are also used to secure subsequently wapped rollers in that section of hair to each other.